Did anyone else get an email from NCSoft about this? I tried looking for info on their site and the links they provided weren't working.
???
http://www.onelastcontinue.com/7255/paragon-city-goes-rogue-in-newly-announced-expansion/
Don't be surprised if this isn't true... might wanna verify it via the official forums.
Confirmed by Castle in this thread (http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=general&Number=13469503&bodyprev=#Post13469503).
QuoteIt's not a joke. I can't say more about it now, though. Stay tuned for more info!
Well, some time ago I received an invite for a survey for COH where they asked questions directly relating to this. This was before the Architect issue. Some of the questions asked what the Architect issue should be named and what our opinions about heroes/ villains being able to switch sides.
I wonder how this will play out. I'm interested in knowing if it's a stand-alone or if it will be like COV, where you don't need a second account and can play with your current global friends...
I checked the forums but didn't see anything about it. :-\
Quote from: Cath on May 12, 2009, 05:00:28 AM
Confirmed by Castle in this thread (http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=general&Number=13469503&bodyprev=#Post13469503).
Thanks! I'm off to read that thread then! Heehee. :D
Official site (complete with trailer): http://www.cityofheroes.com/goingrogue/
Some teases I'm seeing:
- New Engine - Improved Architecture on Statesman's viewing screen & Epic-looking armor
- Power Customization - The fireball changing color
- Dual Pistols - The guy only pulls one, but he has holsters on both sides
Quote from: Cath on May 12, 2009, 06:15:51 AM
- Dual Pistols - The guy only pulls one, but he has holsters on both sides
The first thing I expected to see after watching the trailer was a flood of new posts on the boards saying "OMG! Pistols!"
Quote from: Cath on May 12, 2009, 06:15:51 AM
Some teases I'm seeing:
- New Engine - Improved Architecture on Statesman's viewing screen & Epic-looking armor
- Power Customization - The fireball changing color
- Dual Pistols - The guy only pulls one, but he has holsters on both sides
Yea, I'm seeing new powersets for sure, but the fireball changing color... I think that's just a metaphor for her changing from red to blue, respectively CoV -> CoH. I seriously doubt there going to let us change the color of elemental powers... green fire won't make any sense, regardless of how cool it looks.
I definitely see a (possible) huge engine overhaul, I mean the engine has some major tweaks in the release of COV, so I wouldn't be too surprised if this release brings out a whole new reason to love CoH on graphics alone.
Not to mention I REALLY follow all the storylines in game and seeing them bring Preatorians back into the mix is just exciting. (Tyrant at the end of the trailer)
Why wouldn't green fire make sense? You do realize flames can be any number of colors, naturally, right?
If they upgrade the engine, we're getting power customization. That's always been the excuse.
IMO, it doesn't have to look like fire for it to be classified Fire Damage.
Quote from: SuckerPunch on May 12, 2009, 12:43:14 PM
Why wouldn't green fire make sense? You do realize flames can be any number of colors, naturally, right?
Wouldn't make sense because both Hero side heals and Rad already have a shade of green... it wouldn't make sense to the game, not to the natural ability of it.
Quote from: Cath on May 12, 2009, 01:21:56 PM
If they upgrade the engine, we're getting power customization. That's always been the excuse.
I can see your point and that would be quite awesome if it were to happen. Though they've promised boatloads and have yet to deliver so I've trained myself not to get my hopes up until I can visually see the content.
I can only hope for the best from the release... heh maybe they'll finally add some custom UI support too while they're at it.
Here was me looking at that at thinking it was a ball of electricty.
Red/blue electricty is already there and makes an obvious metaphor for the side switching.
Either way, I'm very excited
I want those red Force Field bubbles we had for all of about a week back in CoV beta. :)
The Press Release:
SEATTLE, Washington - May 12, 2009 - NCsoft®, the world's premier publisher and developer of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), and Paragon Studios™, the developer of City of Heroes®, today announced the development of City of Heroes Going Rogue™, the first major expansion for the City of Heroes franchise since the launch of City of Villains® in 2005. As the name implies, Going Rogue will blur the line between heroes and villains in the first and longest-running super-powered comic book MMO game.
In the Going Rogue expansion, hero and villain characters will become immersed in the new parallel universe known as Praetoria, which is governed by Tyrant™, the evil incarnation of the game's main protagonist, Statesman™. As gamers search for Tyrant and the rest of his Praetorian guard, implacable foes and fierce resistance will arise to face them from all sides, causing heroes and villains alike to question their loyalties.
City of Heroes Going Rogue will introduce a new alignment system that helps players explore the shades of gray that lie between good and evil. For the first time, hero characters can become villains and vice versa, enabling hero archetypes to cross over to the Rogue Isles™ and villain archetypes to experience Paragon City™. Clearly marked missions, in addition to behaviors and decisions made by the player, will move a hero's or villain's moral compass, which could eventually change the hero's or villain's alignment. Going Rogue will also introduce two primary new fictional characters representative of this alignment shift in the game's lore: Maelstrom, a pistol-wielding hero gone rogue, and Desdemona, a demon-summoning villain who has been redeemed.
"City of Heroes has brought a fresh new perspective to the MMO stage with its foray into the super-powered hero comic book genre, and we are excited to present gamers with even more innovative content in Going Rogue," said Brian Clayton, general manager and executive producer at Paragon Studios. "For years, players could choose between playing as a hero or a villain. Now we will present a third, malleable path where players can be affected by the results of their actions, enabling them to further develop, unveil new perspectives, and overcome new challenges."
NCsoft will share more details on Going Rogue in the coming months. The game is currently in development by NCsoft's Paragon Studios, the City of Heroes development team that most recently launched the ground-breaking Mission Architect system. The launch of Mission Architect sets a significant milestone for City of Heroes as the first MMO to allow players to create user-generated content. City of Heroes has and continues to set new standards among its MMO peers and player community with its engaging and approachable comic book-inspired universe theme and consistent delivery of concepts that break the standard MMO mold.
For more information about City of Heroes, go to http://www.cityofheroes.com. (http://www.cityofheroes.com.) For more information about Paragon Studios, go to http://paragonstudios.com. (http://paragonstudios.com.) For more news about NCsoft, go to http://us.ncsoft.com/en/news (http://us.ncsoft.com/en/news) or http://us.ncsoft.com/en/news/press-releases. (http://us.ncsoft.com/en/news/press-releases.)
I think it's important to note that Maelstrom is a hero gone rogue. That would most likely make him a Blaster. Dual Pistols for Blasters!!!
This might actually make me come back to the game.
Would be great if I could get all the badges on one character - :P
I want my electric blaster to be become the electric brute - :)
Come on back now, ya herrrr?
Really short interview, but it looks like they aren't afraid to talk about it:
From MMORPG (http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm?page=1&game=3&feature=3034&bhcp=1)
The Content:
Short Going Rogue Interview
After the announcement that Paragon Studios was working on a new expansion for City of Heroes, franchise Senior Lead Designer Matt Miller took the time to answer a few questions from MMORPG.com. advertisement Paragon Studios, the recently christened NCsoft subsidiary responsible for the development of the first ever Superhero MMO City of Heroes announced today that they are working on the game's second expansion (the first having been City of Villains in 2005).
The expansion, according to the announcement press release, will allow, "hero and villain characters will become immersed in the new parallel universe known as Praetoria, which is governed by Tyrant™, the evil incarnation of the game's main protagonist, Statesman™. As gamers search for Tyrant and the rest of his Praetorian guard, implacable foes and fierce resistance will arise to face them from all sides, causing heroes and villains alike to question their loyalties." This move brings moral shades of grey into the game for the first time.
While the expansion is still in its early stages, meaning that Paragon Studios is still pretty hush-hush about the details of the project, Senior Lead Designer Matt Miller took the time to answer a couple of questions (some more cryptically than others) from MMORPG.com:
MMORPG.com: Going Rogue takes place in an alternate universe. Is this move an attempt to capture the popularity of the alternate universe storylines present in some of the major comic book company lines?
Matt Miller: We've had alternate universes in CoH since even before Issue 1, like the Rikti Homeworld, the Hydra dimension, and of course the Shadow Shard. They are definitely a staple of the genre and we'd be remiss to ignore them.
MMORPG.com: Will what your character does in the parallel universe affect the character in the "real" universe, or are the two separate?
Matt Miller: The two universes are separate, but joined. What your character does in one only truly affects that one, but that can have repercussions across both worlds.
MMORPG.com: Will players be able to use the Mission Architect system to create Praetoria missions?
Matt Miller: Yes, the Mission Architect is a holographic simulator, so players can use it to make whatever type of missions they want. I expect some players will start making up their own stories about the world of Praetoria via Mission Architect right away, based on the (admittedly) very little information we've released at this time. They will have to wait for the release of the expansion to get access to any new maps, NPCs or villain groups we've included, however.
MMORPG.com: Will Going Rogue introduce new missions to the game, or simply allow hero characters to experience villain content and vice-versa?
Matt Miller: Lots of new missions. Lots. It's not just "make your Mastermind into a Hero" and call it a day. What is the path your Mastermind takes? What is the trigger that got them to consider a line between good and evil? What made them cross that line?
Exciting, however, does not sound like a straight up Villain to Hero (or vice-versa) transition.
It seems to be a fate system that's only effected in the Praetorian world, which will probably be like a whole 'nother game. I'm looking forward to it regardless of how they spin it. lol
They've said "Make your hero a villain, or make your villain a hero" every single time. I'm not sure how people are misinterpreting that.
QuoteMMORPG.com: Will what your character does in the parallel universe affect the character in the "real" universe, or are the two separate?
Matt Miller: The two universes are separate, but joined. What your character does in one only truly affects that one, but that can have repercussions across both worlds.
"Alternate Universe"
From what I'm reading it pretty much sounds like your Villain can only be a Hero in this "alternate universe" however, he's kind of leading us on the believe that it will hold some weight on the "real" universe.
The thing I'm not entirely understanding is (probably because they haven't been clear) whether Rogue will be required to continue playing the game even if you have no interest in playing Rogue, or if it will be optional like CoV is/was. And how come only certain people got the email?
And what's wrong with green fire? I can think of one comic book character off the top of my head who has fire powers with green effects.
Quote from: Dark Horizon on May 13, 2009, 07:37:55 PM
The thing I'm not entirely understanding is (probably because they haven't been clear) whether Rogue will be required to continue playing the game even if you have no interest in playing Rogue, or if it will be optional like CoV is/was. And how come only certain people got the email?
I'm guessing it'll be very similar to when Villains was released. Want access to the "going rogue" system (maybe as as 'do you want to access Praetoria')? Pay for the box. Don't pay for the box, don't get access.
Also, they send out the emails in batches, as to not to overwhelm the servers. Couple that with one batch going out waaay early, and potentially being caught by spam filters or clogged tubes delays things.
The difference between GR and COV is that GR is not a stand-alone. You must have COH/V to get GR. I'm thinking that should lead to a lower price point for a barebones version of it, but we'll see.
Quote from: Cath on May 13, 2009, 08:16:36 PM
The difference between GR and COV is that GR is not a stand-alone. You must have COH/V to get GR. I'm thinking that should lead to a lower price point for a barebones version of it, but we'll see.
Ah, yeah, I forgot. My initial purchase was the GvE edition, some part of my tiny brain keeps wanting to think CoV required CoH, when it never did.
I just want to get villain badges on my hero so I only have one character to worry about for badges - :P
While we're waiting for the offical forum to come back up, this might be a good time to repost the parts of that NCSoft marketing surey that focus on GR.
I know it shouldn't be taken as totally true, but the details of MA in it ended up matching the MA we got in I14 - so it's still useful for a general idea of what they might be planning for the expansion, I think ;)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
City of Heroes and City of Villains let players create unique characters and set forth as virtuous Heroes or evil Villains in a MMO comic book inspired universe. This expansion to the City of Heroes/Villains universe blurs the line between good and evil, between hero and villain. The Going Rogue system is a new game dynamic for City of Heroes and City of Villains that allows players to alter the morality of their characters, eventually opening up the opportunity to turn their Hero into a Villain or vice versa.
By visiting different contacts in the game, players can start the process of "moving their moral compass" towards being a hero or a villain. Making this choice dramatically alters the gameplay for the player, as they will now be able to bring an Archetype (class) that was previously only available to players of City of Heroes into City of Villains, and vice versa. Once a character has switched sides, they can continue down the path they have chosen, or use the opportunity to subvert their new allies through a series of espionage-style missions.
In addition to this new game altering dynamic, new neutral starting zones allow new players to select their Archetype (class) first, and then let their actions determine their hero, villain or rogue identities. At the high levels, rewards for these moral choices will be found in new PVP, PVE and Co-op zones. Accomplishments will lead to rewards that will significantly distinguish level 50 characters from one another.One such reward is the Universal Enhancement Slots. Ten Universal Enhancement Slots are available to be earned in the expansion, and each one has the potential of adding significant power to the character, essentially bringing them to a hypothetical "Level 60" once they have earned all ten slots.
For existing City of Heroes and City of Villains players who have previously reached the level cap of 50, the Expansion will take them into outer space where they can now find challenges that test their powers and skills to the max. On an alien space station that mysteriously appears over Earth, Heroes and Villains will race to unlock the secrets of the place and be the first to reap the rewards that are only available to the best of the best.
A brand new Spy Archetype (class), power sets and player costume options will lead to a massive amount of new character and gameplay options. And a significantly enhanced character creator system will now allow characters to customize the effects (looks and colors) of their super powered attacks and defenses.
Here is some other things that were mentioned in the survey...
1.) New high level Space Station Zones (PVE, PVP, & Co-op)
2.) Characters that do not wish to change sides are rewarded by becoming exemplary heroes or villains, and earning rewards not available any other way
3.) Heroes and villains who go to the other side can also act as Double-Agents
4.) Character Creator 2.0 includes Powers Customization, allowing players to customize not only the character, but also the actual look of its powers
5.) Players undertake missions that define their character's morality and steer them in a more heroic or villainous direction
6.) By switching sides (going from good to bad or bad to good), players can access content "on the other side" (heroes can experience villain zones and content, and villains can experience hero zones and content)
7.) Completely new low-level player experience/zones for new characters in which new characters do not begin a hero or villain, rather become one or the other through early gameplay
8.) New Spy Archetype, Power Sets & Costumes
9.) Universal Enhancement Slots - at level 50, these enhance powers to the character, essentially bringing them to a hypothetical "Level 60" once they have earned all ten slots
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From this, it looks like Power Customiation was originally going to be part of GR, but they brought it forward to I16 instead.
The double agent and super enhancement stuff sounds really interesting, I think ;D
Closed Beta Incentives:
COH Announcement Page (http://www.cityofheroes.com/news/news_archive/loyal_through_thick_and_thin.html)
QuoteLoyal Through Thick and Thin
Heroes strive to achieve the best within themselves through loyalty and determination. Villains use fear to instill it in their comrades. Wherever your allegiance lies, we want to reward you and thank you for your devotion. To that end, we are pleased to introduce the following program.
Keep Your Account Active, Be Rewarded!
All City of Heroes® and City of Villains® players who maintain an active account for the time period beginning August 15, 2009 and ending November 15, 2009 will receive a set of special rewards for their loyalty to Paragon City™ and The Rogue Isles™:
• Closed Beta access* for City of Heroes Going Rogue™
• Exclusive loyalty badges**: "Vigilant" for Heroes and "Determined" for Villains
* Going Rogue Closed Beta Access will be granted using a three-tier system:
Tier One: City of Heroes Veterans with 60+ months of paid time.
Tier Two: Loyalty Program players
Tier Three: Players who Pre-Order Going Rogue (Preorder details to be announced at a later date)
**Badges will be enabled within one week after the promotional period has ended.
Bonus Subscription Time
Additionally, we are pleased to introduce a limited time Loyalty Plan Subscription Offer. Back by popular demand, this is the same plan that we introduced last year with our Holiday promotion. When you purchase game account time between now and November 15, 2009, you will receive additional rewards:
• Sign up for 6 months, get a 7th month free.
• Sign up for 12 months, get a 13th and 14th month free.
Either one of these can be "stacked" (added) one time on top of your current subscription plan. To take advantage of this offer log in to your NCsoft® Account and you will see the special offer from your City of Heroes game account page.
*This promotion ends at 11:59PM EST, November 15th, 2009.
This is a great way to reward customer loyalty. It's not even close to subtle, though (Champions advertising a release date of Sept. 1). :P
It'll be fun working out the bugs.
Aw, man. I'll just barely be shy of the 60 mo. category for beta (just got my 57.)
Oh well. I'm sure there will still be plenty of bugs to find when I get in there.
Dang, if they keep releasing "Be on the 12-mo plan, get 2 months free" deals, I'll never have to pay for CoH time again :D
Not subtle at all, and IMHO a great move for NCsoft to make.
Depending upon exactly when they check the 60 month cutoff I may or may not make it (my 60 months is in October), but I nabbed the 12+2 for thr 2 accounts that got it as Christmas and renewed.
Anyone know if I can take an account that has 12+2 from Christmas that hasn't billed yet, and add this 12+2 for the billing cycle afterwards ?
Quote from: eabrace on July 30, 2009, 02:52:46 PM
Aw, man. I'll just barely be shy of the 60 mo. category for beta (just got my 57.)
Oh well. I'm sure there will still be plenty of bugs to find when I get in there.
Well, it's "paid time" as of November 15th. Check to see where you'll be at that time. You could always buy a GTC from Amazon to bump it if you want.
Quote from: Catwhoorg on July 30, 2009, 05:37:35 PMAnyone know if I can take an account that has 12+2 from Christmas that hasn't billed yet, and add this 12+2 for the billing cycle afterwards ?
Go to your account management page and click on the Special Offer banner. :)
Quote from: Cath on July 30, 2009, 05:53:07 PM
Well, it's "paid time" as of November 15th. Check to see where you'll be at that time. You could always buy a GTC from Amazon to bump it if you want.
I might be OK if they're calculating it that way. My current 6 mo. billing cycle ends on Nov. 26. It's showing I'll have credit for 4 Years, 7 Months paid time on that date, but my Vet Rewards time calculated to that date is showing 5 Years, 1 Months. (I've gotten a few people to sign up through Refer-A-Friend.)
I have seven months more vet time than paid time, though I won't qualify either way for the 60mo reward.
Though I have a huge suspicion it's going to turn into "paid time or vet time, whichever is higher" if enough people make a stink about it. Which if the official forums weren't down, we would have seventeen threads about it already. :p
Quote from: Aggelakis on July 30, 2009, 06:58:34 PM
"paid time or vet time, whichever is higher"
Er... isn't paid time
always higher than (or equal to) vet time?
Quote from: Fleeting Whisper on July 30, 2009, 07:08:39 PM
Er... isn't paid time always higher than (or equal to) vet time?
Total Paid Time: 4 Years, 5 Months
Veteran Rewards Time: 5 Years, 3 Months
I've bought every box (except for the CoV regular edition), pay monthly, and also used the "Refer a friend" and "Invite a friend back" program a couple of times.
Quote from: Fleeting Whisper on July 30, 2009, 07:08:39 PM
Er... isn't paid time always higher than (or equal to) vet time?
Yes, but the announcement currently states
only paid time.
I like this new loyalty promotion - new badges are never a bad thing ;D
Well, there were those MA ones, but still... :P